Schweizer 269C N656RB

Summary

On 3 October 2024 at about 00:40 local time, a Schweizer 269C registered N656RB, operated by Optimal Lift LLC, was involved in an accident near Montrose, Colorado, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause has been published yet; this accident is still under investigation.

Date

3 October 2024 at 00:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Montrose, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

38.4820, -107.8728

Aircraft

Schweizer 269C

Registration

N656RB

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1997

Engines

1

Operator

Optimal Lift LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN25LA003

2 people had minor injuries.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. The investigation is still open; a final report usually follows one to two years after the accident.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

On October 2, 2024, about 1840, mountain daylight time, a Schweizer 296C helicopter, N656RB, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Montrose, Colorado. The pilot and passenger sustained minor injuries. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot stated that during an autorotation demonstration, the helicopter had a complete loss of engine power. The pilot had set up the demonstration about 1,500 ft above ground level and about 60 knots indicated airspeed with hard packed gravel terrain chosen for their touchdown point. The pilot stated that the engine RPM went to zero as soon as he rolled off the throttle to start the autorotation. He attempted to restart the engine with no success, and conducted an autorotation to the predetermined touchdown area. During the ground run, the left skid collapsed, and the helicopter rolled onto its left side which resulted in substantial damage to the main rotor system, tail boom, and tail rotor system. The wreckage was retained for further examination.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.